CiCM 31st October 2025

NEWS IN CHINA

Xi Jinping Calls for Joint Asia-Pacific Effort to Foster Global Peace and Prosperity: Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a written speech titled “Leveraging Asia-Pacific’s Leading Role to Jointly Promote World Development and Prosperity” at the APEC CEO Summit, emphasizing multilateralism, openness, and inclusive development amid global turbulence. Xi urged APEC members to uphold peace and equality, stressing that hegemonism and unilateralism bring instability, while cooperation and fairness lead to sustainable growth. He called on nations to safeguard peace through dialogue, maintain stable global supply chains, and advance regional economic integration under WTO frameworks. Highlighting China’s role as a key contributor to global growth averaging 5.5% during the 14th Five-Year Plan, Xi highlighted Beijing’s commitment to market openness, green development, and technological innovation. He noted that China has reduced foreign investment restrictions, expanded services, and built the world’s largest renewable energy system. Looking ahead to China’s hosting of APEC next year, Xi pledged deeper cooperation to build a resilient and inclusive Asia-Pacific community, describing China as “a safe, promising, and opportunity-rich investment destination.”
Shenzhou-21 Crew Shares Insights Ahead of Space Mission: China is set to launch the Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The mission will send three taikonauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang to the Chinese Space Station for a six-month stay focused on scientific experiments, technology verification, and maintenance. Commander Zhang Lu, a Shenzhou-15 veteran with 186 days of prior spaceflight, said his main challenge will be leading two younger crewmates while ensuring safety and precision. He emphasized teamwork across generations, describing their collaboration as “complementary and inspiring.” Wu Fei, at 32, becomes China’s youngest astronaut in space history. Inspired by Yang Liwei’s 2003 landing, Wu said the toughest part of training was enduring hyper-gravity tests, calling the mission a “dream built through perseverance.” Zhang Hongzhang, a payload specialist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will focus on energy storage and power experiments, aiming to deliver innovations that “advance technology and benefit society.” The mission underscores China’s growing space ambitions and confidence in its new generation of taikonauts.
Mutual Visa-Free Policy Boosts China-South Korea Tourism and Economic Ties: China and South Korea’s reciprocal visa-free policies are driving a tourism and economic boom, according to experts cited by China Daily. Following Seoul’s decision to allow Chinese group tourists to enter visa-free from September 29, 2025, to June 30, 2026, destinations like Seoul and Jeju Island saw a sharp rise in Chinese visitors during China’s National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays. Travel platforms such as Tuniu reported a 60% surge in bookings for South Korea since the holiday period, while popular attractions like Gyeongbokgung Palace and Myeong-dong have witnessed record crowds. South Korea aims to attract 5.36 million Chinese tourists this year, nearing pre-pandemic levels, with the Bank of Korea estimating that every million additional Chinese tourists could raise GDP by 0.08 percentage points. This comes as a reciprocal gesture to China’s 2024 visa waiver for South Koreans, which led to a 131% year-on-year surge in Korean travel bookings to China. Tourism experts believe these policies strengthen people-to-people exchanges and foster deeper cultural and economic cooperation between the two nations.
Xi’s APEC Diplomacy Reinforces Ties with Canada, Thailand, and Japan: Chinese President Xi Jinping held back-to-back meetings with the prime ministers of Canada, Thailand, and Japan on the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, signaling China’s push to stabilize relations with key Asia-Pacific partners. The meetings came as all three nations recently saw political transitions. During talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Xi called for bringing bilateral ties “back on the right track” and enhancing cooperation in multilateral platforms like the UN. Carney described the dialogue as a “turning point,” reflecting Ottawa’s renewed interest in re-engaging with Beijing amid global uncertainty. With Thailand’s new Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Xi urged faster progress on the China-Thailand railway and deeper cooperation in digital innovation, agriculture, and crime prevention. Meeting Japan’s new leader Sanae Takaichi, Xi emphasized building “constructive and stable” relations guided by the four bilateral political documents. Experts noted that Xi’s diplomacy underscores China’s focus on neighborhood stability and pragmatic engagement even with U.S. allies while advancing trade liberalization and multilateralism across the Asia-Pacific.
Chinese and U.S. Defense Chiefs Hold Strategic Talks in Malaysia: Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Friday on the sidelines of the 12th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur. The meeting came shortly after a high-level dialogue between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump in South Korea, which both sides described as “strategically constructive.” During the talks, Dong emphasized that the defense departments of both nations must translate the leaders’ consensus into tangible actions to stabilize military-to-military relations. He called for ties grounded in equality, respect, peaceful coexistence, and steady development. Dong further urged the U.S. to uphold its commitment not to contain China or provoke conflict, and to adopt a clear stance opposing “Taiwan independence.” He expressed hope for deeper cooperation between the two militaries to contribute to regional stability and global peace. The meeting was seen as a cautious yet positive step in restoring defense dialogue between the two major powers.

SOCIAL MEDIA CHATTER

Chinese Netizens Decode the Xi–Trump ‘G2’ Meeting over social media: The much-anticipated Xi–Trump “G2” meeting has dominated Chinese social media, sparking waves of interpretation and humor across platforms like Weibo, Zhihu, and Douyin. While official state media maintained a measured tone, online discussions zeroed in on the symbolic gestures from Trump arriving early to greet Xi to him personally escorting the Chinese president to his car. Netizens interpreted these acts as subtle signs of shifting power dynamics, with many calling it proof that “the U.S. now sees China as an equal partner.” The hashtag #特朗普送习主席上车# (“Trump escorts President Xi to his car”) alone amassed millions of views, with users commenting that “细节见真章” (“truth lies in the details”). Zhihu commentators noted Trump’s unusually respectful demeanor, contrasting it with his curt behaviour toward Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi days earlier. Others celebrated the meeting’s “win-win tone,” interpreting Trump’s use of “G2” as recognition of China’s growing global stature. Memes, short videos and witty posts painted the meeting as both a diplomatic success and a theater of geopolitics, a mix of respect, rivalry and realism that Chinese netizens couldn’t stop dissecting.

INDIA WATCH

SCMP Highlights India’s Strategic Tightrope in Balancing US Partnership: The South China Morning Post highlighted India’s renewed 10-year defence framework with the United States as a calculated move in New Delhi’s delicate balancing act between Washington and Moscow. Signed in Kuala Lumpur by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US counterpart Pete Hegseth during the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus, the deal was hailed by both as a milestone for regional stability. However, the SCMP observed that its timing amid trade frictions and India’s continued reliance on Russian arms revealed deeper geopolitical tensions. Analysts noted that while India seeks to strengthen military cooperation with the US, its strategic autonomy remains tied to Russian weapon systems, notably the S-400 missile defence units. The article’s analysis emphasized India’s pragmatism; leaning on US technology for intelligence and logistics, yet depending on Russia for critical defence platforms and technology transfers that Washington remains reluctant to share. From an Indian perspective, the renewed pact reflects an effort to hedge between two major powers maintaining ties with Russia for self-reliance and diversifying partnerships with the US to enhance deterrence and regional stability without compromising sovereignty.

Prepared By

Lipun Kumar Sanbad

Lipun Kumar Sanbad, a postgraduate student of Politics and International Relations from Pondicherry University and a History and Political science graduate from University of Delhi. From the past three years working as a freelance researcher in the domain of global peace, conflict and security studies, and defence studies.